Published Articles
Carlyle Connection - Winter 2010
Located in the pier between the two windows of Colonel John Carlyle’s study hangs a reproduction of the 1745 edition of cartographer John Warner’s A SURVEY of the NORTHERN NECK of VIRGINIA, being the LANDS belonging to the Rt. Honourable THOMAS LORD FAIRFAX BARON CAMERON, bounded by & within the Bay of Chesapoyocke and between the Rivers Rappahannock and Potowmack: With The Courses of the Rivers RAPPAHANNOCK and POTOWMACK, in VIRGINIA, as surveyed according to Order in the Years 1736 & 1737.
Carlyle Connection - Fall 2010
For more than two and a half centuries, Colonel John Carlyle’s house has been an Alexandria landmark. Despite the estate’s historic significance as Major General Edward Braddock’s headquarters, Colonel Carlyle’s once grand Georgian-Palladian Aquia sandstone mansion fell into disrepair over the one hundred and sixty years following his death in 1780.
Book Review: “The Transformation of Virginia” by Rhys Isaac - December 2010
Rhys Isaac’s Pulitzer Prize winning work, The Transformation of Virginia, 1740-1790, draws the reader into the social world of Virginia on the eve of the Revolutionary War. Isaac skillfully paints a picture of Virginia, opening with early descriptions of the land and then careful ly placing characters and actions within that setting. As he explains in a detailed chapter on his methodology, Isaac employs “ethnography” to show how Virginia’s societal structure evolved during the events of the Revolution. Isaac defines ethnography as the search for meaning in people’s actions. The historian who uses ethnography must be willing to view actions as statements. While he admits he presents no new facts, Isaac applies what he calls “humanistic social science” to illustrate a changing way of life in Virginia (p. 7).
Former Carlyle House Owner, Decorated WWI Aviator - December 2010
For more than two and a half centuries, Colonel John Carlyle’s house has been an Alexandria landmark. Despite the estate’s historic significance as Major General Edward Braddock’s headquarters, Colonel Carlyle’s once grand Georgian-Palladian Aquia sandstone mansion fell into disrepair over the one hundred and sixty years following his death in 1780. In 1940, a Northern Virginia businessman by the name of Lloyd Diehl Schaeffer purchased the property and saved Colonel Carlyle’s home from the wrecking ball. Schaeffer had a love of history, recognized the historic importance of the site, and operated Carlyle’s home as a museum into the 1960s, before selling it to the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority.
Death Comes to Carlyle House: An 18th-Century Virginia Home in Mourning - October 2010
Every fall, Carlyle House is transformed, both inside and out, to reflect how it may have looked in 1780, when John Carlyle died. Death Comes to Carlyle House allows visitors to explore the mourning practices of 18thcentury Virginia through the experience of Colonel John Carlyle's household.
Counties in Chaos: The Formation of Counties in 18th Century Virginia - November 2010
The or igins of modern-day Fairfax County can be traced back to 1649, when the exiled King Charles II of England granted northern Virginia to seven English noblemen. As proprietors, these noblemen could freely sell, lease, or transfer property, and could manage the creation of towns and schools. With a distance of two thousand sea miles between them and their property, however, the English proprietors showed little interest in their holdings in the new world, and by the late 17th century the land had not been signi f icant ly developed, mapped, or surveyed. Through property transfers and marriage alliances, the original seven grants eventually came into the possession of the Culpepper and Fairfax families, culminating in the sole possession of Thomas, 6th Lord Fairfax in 1719.
Colonial Currency - September 2010
Today we hear ads on the radio with plans and scams to get out of debt. Television specials spotlight families that are “debt free.” No one feels comfortable owing a person money. However, in the 18th century debt was looked at through a different lens. Cash was not readily available. Most people made all their purchases with credit, with no intention of ever paying it back with cash as we do today. It would be with the promise of goods or services later. Workers were also not always paid in cash; they could receive goods, land, or even rum in exchange for their work.
Floorcloths: Beauty Underfoot - August 2010
The inventory of John Carlyle’s household goods, taken after his death in 1780, lists “2 floor oyle cloths” valued at a total of 1 £. The “oyle” (oil) cloth, also known as a floorcloth, is a canvas floor covering, thickly coated with linseed oil and pigment. It is the ancestor to linoleum, patented by Englishman Frederick Walton in 1860. Floorcloths were designed to imitate the marble floors of the British elite.
John Carlyle: Patriot - July 2010
In 1764 the British Parliament, desiring revenue from its North American colonies and looking to recoup money spent on the French and Indian War, passed the Sugar Act. The law increased duties on non-British goods shipped to the colonies. The very next year Great Britain issued the Stamp Act, which taxed newspapers, almanacs, pamphlets, broadsides, legal documents, dice, and playing cards. It was the first direct tax levied on the American colonies. In 1764, the Parliament also passed the Currency Act, which prohibited the colonies from issuing their own money. Then in 1765, they passed the Quartering Act, which required the colonists to provide barracks and supplies to British troops.
Sifting Through Slavery - June 2010
In the past month Carlyle House has welcomed three new mannequins to its education collection. They are actively setup in the rooms to help interpret the whole story of the house. The objects, the furnishings, and the letters make it easy to interpret the Carlyle family; however nine other individuals called this house their home. The mannequins are there to represent the story of the enslaved population. The February newsletter had an article consisting of the information we know about the specific individuals that lived at Carlyle House. In March I attended a conference, Sifting Through Slavery: Archaeology and Interpretation of Agricultural and Industrial Slavery in the Mid-Atlantic and learned more about what life was like in general for African Americans in the 18th Century.
The Wondrous World of Mark Catesby and John Carlyle - May 2010
In 1747, the English naturalist, Mark Catesby (b. 1682, d. 1749) completed a series of watercolors which became the single most important reference of the flora and fauna in North America. It was titled The Natural History of Carolina, Florida, and the Bahama Islands. His work intended to illustrate and effectively communicate, a meaningful understanding of natural life in the New World. Published, copied, and finally purchased for King George III’s natural history collection, Catesby’s work offered a picture of the natural world of North America.
In a time when textiles were coveted and expensive, the bedding listed on John Carlyle’s 1780 inventory represents a wide variety of rich fabrics. One of the most interesting items, and one that is often overlooked, is the silk bed rug.
The Archaeology of The Carlyle House - January 2010
The archaeology of The Carlyle House is a lot like its builder’s history. As docents we are all aware of the close call the man who built the Carlyle House had with history. When it comes to the historical record, John Carlyle nearly disappeared. As it turns out, Carlyle’s imprint on the archaeological record is even thinner.
Interpreting Slavery at Carlyle House - February 2010
February is Black History month and a chance to reflect on the African-Americans who lived and worked at Carlyle House. With so many stories, facts and objects that focus on the Carlyle family, it is easy to forget the more silent voices of those who lived and labored here. This is a good time to listen closely to those voices, reflect on them and think about how their voices could become a part of your tour.
EXTRA EDITION: Did He or Didn’t He? - February 2010
After a few years of docenting at Carlyle House and continuing to acquire knowledge of the 18th Century, I was reading Willard Stearns Randall’s George Washington – A Life (1997). I was in the middle of page 166, when history came close to home and my research project was born.
Heroines, Not Harlots: Female Soldiers in the 18th-Century - March 2010
Female soldiers in the eighteenth century gained glorious recognition only if they first earned honorable identities as men. Hundreds of women cut their hair, donned men\'s clothing, and secretly joined the army. Each woman had her own reason for joining; each had different levels of success. The two most successful accounts, and the most celebrated, are those of Deborah Sampson and Hannah Snell. Both these women proved themselves able to fight, serve, and survive as male soldiers in an army and were able to virtuously re-enter the women\'s sphere.
